


Avalanche

by alcoholandregret



Category: Hockey RPF
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-15
Updated: 2017-07-15
Packaged: 2018-12-02 11:48:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,780
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11508792
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alcoholandregret/pseuds/alcoholandregret
Summary: It was just another fact in his life, really. The sky is blue, water is wet, and Nolan Patrick is head over heels for Nico Hischier - and really, really bad at hiding it.





	Avalanche

**Author's Note:**

> Anonymous requested Nolan/Nico - "stop trying to psychoanalyze me before I've had my coffee" and "I wanna have naptime on the kitchen floor" from [this post](https://sidnate.tumblr.com/post/162955236698/startersprompts-aka-texts-ive-sent-with-no)
> 
> Title from [Avalanche by Walk the Moon](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tnlauD7UUNQ)

Nolan was really, really fucking tired, and so sore it felt like even his bones were aching. It was some kind of really cruel joke that the Flyers  _ start _ their season with the California road trip. The travel combined with coming back to Philadelphia having lost two of the three games was exhausting. He supposed he could at least take solace in the fact that they were given the day off when they got back, but really that’s a blessing that can only be taken with a grain of salt. There’s no way coach was going to let them get away with the 6-1 loss to the Ducks without skating them into the ground. Or, at the very least, making them work until it felt like their legs would fall off.

Really, the only reason Nolan could see for why they weren’t at the rink right then was because it would just be counter-productive. They were all too tired to try to skate like that. Well, maybe it was just him. It was hard to tell, given that he hadn’t talked to anyone but Nico since they got on the plane earlier that morning. 

He finally rolled out of bed when he couldn’t stand just staring at the ceiling any longer.

He didn’t even make it to the kitchen before his phone buzzed in his hand.

**[From: swiss cheese, 10:49am]**

_ Wake up, sleepy _

He leaned up against the counter to type out a reply with a yawn.

**[To: swiss cheese, 10:51am]**

_ I am awake _

He set his phone on the counter, and was only able to get the coffee maker turned on when it started ringing. He answered it and propped it up against the toaster so Nico could see him.

“Hey, Hisch.”

“Hello,” Nico said with a grin, resting his chin on his forearms. “How was your plane?”

Nolan shrugged and went back to setting up the coffee maker. “The flight was okay, I guess. Long. Too early.” Nico hummed. “I just slept for a lot of it. I saw a clip of your goal, though, a beauty.” 

“You said,” he laughed. “Thank you.”

_ Oh, right. _ He’d texted him what he saw it. “I wanted to say it again.”

“Okay,” he said, and with a glance at the screen, Nolan could tell he was amused, if that poorly-hidden half-smirk was any indication.

The machine beeped to get his attention, and he searched the cabinets for the coffee grounds and filters.  _ Why the hell isn’t anything where it should be? _

“You played well, too.”

Nolan just huffed out a laugh and said nothing.

“You did.”

“We lost.”

He saw the calculating look Nico was giving him out of the corner of his eye as he filled the filter and pressed the start button four times before it actually worked. Maybe one day the appliance wouldn’t fight him, but he’d bet a whole lot of things that that day would never come.

“Nolan.”

“Nico.”

Nico sighed and Nolan stared at the stream of coffee as it brewed, just to be looking at something other than his friend.

“You are blaming yourself.”

He said nothing.

“Hey,” Nico said softly, and Nolan swallowed and finally looked at his phone. His stomach twisted itself in knots when he saw the concern clearly displayed across Nico’s features. “It’s not your fault.”

“You don’t know that, you don’t-”

“Did you score six goals on your team?”

“I didn’t score at all.”

“Not what I asked you.”

He shook his head slightly. “No.”

“Then it’s not your fault.”

Nico looked so genuine, like he  _ needed _ Nolan to believe him, and Nolan really wanted to. He really, really did, but the dull ache was a reminder that he was wrong. A reminder of the two goals scored against his team while he was on the ice. He could have done  _ this _ instead of that, should have been  _ there _ instead of the other side of the ice - out of position, should have-

“You are not very kind to yourself,” he said when Nolan took too long to answer, like he could read his mind. He sounded sad, and it made the part of Nolan’s chest that hadn’t been aching hurt more than anything else.

“Stop trying to psychoanalyze me before I’ve had my coffee,” he weakly joked, jabbing a finger accusingly at his phone in an attempt to lighten the mood.

Luckily enough for him, it brought a smile, a small one, but a smile nonetheless, to Nico’s face, and he let the subject get dropped. “It’s not my fault you waited until eleven to make it.”

“Fuck you, I just woke up,” Nolan laughed and got a mug down. He poured some sugar into it before glaring at the coffee maker. “I’d already have my coffee if this thing wasn’t so slow.”

“Impatient.”

“Coffee is my patience.”

“You’re so old.”

“You’re barely younger than me, so-” he turned to his phone to give Nico his best “feigning annoyance” look when he stopped dead in his track. It was the first time during the call he’d looked at anything on the other end that wasn’t Nico. “Where even are you?”

“Home?”

“No, I know, like,  _ where _ ?”

“Oh.” He flipped the camera around and pointed it at the door of an oven. “The kitchen.”

He couldn’t hold back his laugh, letting it dissolve into a fond smile when Nico turned it back to himself. “Why are you on the kitchen floor?”

“I just got back from practice and I’m tired. It’s time for a nap,” he said, letting his head tilt over so his cheek was resting against his folded arms.

Nolan yawned and propped an elbow up on the counter, resting his chin in his hand. “I wanna have naptime on the kitchen floor.”

Nico laughed and Nolan’s stomach did flips. “You just woke up.”

“So? I’m still tired and I miss you.”

There were very few times in his life where Nolan appreciated his ‘perpetual blush,’ but this was certainly one of them. It’s like his embarrassment could hide in plain sight. 

He’s known he’s had feelings for Nico since the start of all the pre-draft media and combine. It was just another fact in his life, really. The sky is blue, water is wet, and Nolan Patrick is head over heels for Nico Hischier - and really,  _ really _ bad at hiding it. At some point, he knew, it would all come to a head, but he’d prefer that it didn’t. Nico really wasn’t a friend he wanted to lose in general, let alone for a stupid reason like that.

“I miss you too,” he said, snapping Nolan back into it.

Something about the soft expression on his face let loose a bunch of overly hopeful butterflies in his stomach.

Part of him knew he should try to stamp them down, but most of him would rather do pretty much anything else. Hope could be dangerous, sure, but he felt like he could use a little of it every now and then. So he just ignored them as best as he could, but still he could tell he must’ve been mirroring the look he was getting.

“It’s not fair that we don’t play each other until  _ January _ .”

Honestly, Nolan thinks as he finally pours himself a cup of coffee, he’s pretty sure whoever decided the schedules had something against him personally.

He set his mug on the table before going back to grab his phone, falling into the chair maybe a tad over-dramatically.

“There’s only two hours between us,” Nico said, picking at the sleeve of his hoodie.

_ I know _ , Nolan thought. He’d looked it up pretty much the first chance he got after spending time with Nico.

“Yeah,” he said instead.

“We don’t have to wait to January.” 

“Oh.” It’s not like he hadn’t considered that, just being able to go see Nico - or vice versa - whenever they got the chance. Of course he had. Possibly too often. He just hadn’t thought Nico would have as well. “No, we don’t.”

Nico sat up and lifted his phone, and his video cut out when he switched apps. Nolan just sipped at his coffee silently while he waited for him to finish whatever he was doing.

His tongue was poking out slightly when he switched back and the video returned. Nolan nearly choked on his coffee.

He was so fucked over his friend.

“I have a six day break this month.”

“Oh?” Nolan asked, opening his schedule. “When?”

“Twenty-one to twenty-six.”

“I have off the twenty-third,” Nolan said and went back to the call. Nico was back to laying down on the floor, his chin in his hands. “I mean, I’m sure I’ll have practice in the morning, but other than that I’m good.”

“Sounds good,” Nico grinned.

He returned the smile. “Yeah, it’s a date.”

It took les than two seconds for Nolan to bite down on his tongue and curse himself for his choice of words.

Before he could apologize, try to explain himself,  _ anything _ , Nico’s smile grew and he nodded. “A date.”

Nolan’s heart felt like it was going to burst out of his chest, and it tried to escape through his throat when he tried to speak. “You - uh. You sure Nics? If you don’t w-”

“I’m sure,” he nodded. “Are you not?”

“ _ No _ ,” he said, too fast, and ran a hand down his face. “No, I mean. Yeah, I’m sure. I’d. I’d really like that.”

“Me too,” Nico sighed contentedly.

He yawned and Nolan laughed quietly, setting down his cup. “I think maybe it is naptime.”

Nico nodded, laying his head back in his arms, his eyes falling shut.

“Maybe you shouldn’t nap on the kitchen floor.”

He just hummed, but didn’t move.

“C’mon, Hisch, go to bed. You can call me when you wake up.”

He mumbled something but sat up anyway. “Okay, I will.”

“See ya,” Nolan smiled softly. Sleepy Nico was somehow even cuter than he usually is.

“Wait.”

“What’s up?”

“You’re going to get your goal. No need to worry so much.”

“Hey-”

“You had your coffee,” he teased.

He rolled his eyes. “You win. Thanks.”

“Anytime. Goodbye.”

“Bye.”

He offered a small wave and Nico returned it before ending the call.

Nolan was still really, really fucking tired and sore all over, but his heart had never felt more full, and it made his head spin. He had a date with Nico. They called it a date.

Maybe the hopeful butterflies could hold onto their magic for just a little bit longer.

Two nights later, he scores against Nashville. 

**[To: swiss cheese, 10:31pm]**

_ that was for you _

**Author's Note:**

> Maybe one day I will title a Nolan/Nico fic with something other than a song title but I guess today is not that day. Anyway, this was really fun to do so I hope you enjoyed it! I just,, love these two so much,
> 
> catch me on [twitter](http://twitter.com/alcoholnregret) and [tumblr](http://sidnate.tumblr.com)


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